Seattle ? Craig Terrill and the Seattle Seahawks delivered the kind of defensive performance they needed with Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck on the sideline nursing injuries.

Facing the Oakland Raiders on a stormy night sure helped the cause.

Terrill had three of Seattle’s nine sacks, and Seneca Wallace threw a touchdown pass to get his first victory as an NFL starter, a 16-0 victory over the Raiders on Monday night.

“Our defense had a few things to prove,” Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. “I think they played very hard and very smart, which is something we needed.”

The Raiders, on the other hand, showed their frustration with another Monday night meltdown, ending when defensive lineman Tyler Brayton was ejected in the final minutes for kneeing Seattle tight end Jerramy Stevens in the groin.

“I made a mistake,” Brayton said. “I’ll be the first to admit I made a mistake. I let my emotions get the best of me, and that’s not a good thing when you do that.”

The Raiders (2-6) had won two straight after dropping the first five games of the season, but once again proved not to be ready for prime time. They became the first team to be shut out twice in a season on Monday Night, following a 27-0 season-opening loss to San Diego, and have been outscored 53-3 in three prime-time games this season.

Oakland Raides quarterback Andrew Walter rolls on the ground after a sack by the Seahawks. Seattle recorded nine sacks during Monday night's 16-0 victory at Qwest Field in Seattle.

The Seahawks (5-3) had lost three of four games since Alexander, last year’s league MVP, was sidelined due to a broken foot. Hasselbeck, a Pro Bowl quarterback last year, has missed two straight games due to a sprained knee ligament, limiting Seattle’s big-strike ability.

But backups Wallace and Maurice Morris did enough to make up for those losses on this night. Wallace went 18-of-30 for 176 yards, including a 22-yard TD pass to Deion Branch in the first quarter, against the Raiders.

Morris ran for a career-high 138 yards on 30 carries as the Seahawks had a season-high 207 yards on the ground.

While the backups stepped up to help give the defending NFC champion Seahawks a one-game lead over St. Louis in the NFC West, it was the improvement on defense that was most notable.

The Seahawks now can take control of the division by beating the Rams at home next week.